When the new BMW Z4 was revealed at Pebble Beach in August 2018, it was presented in flagship M40i guise only. Now, ahead of the roadster’s appearance at the Paris Motor Show, the Bavarian brand has detailed the rest of the range, plus offered additional details.

When it hits initial markets in March 2019, the Z4 will be offered with a choice of three powertrains. The Z4 sDrive20i will serve as the base model, powered by a turbocharged 2,0-litre four-cylinder unit producing 145 kW and 320 N.m. BMW says this derivative will hit 100 km/h from standstill in 6,6 seconds, before topping out at 240 km/h.

Next up is the Z4 sDrive30i, which uses the same four-pot but tuned to deliver 190 kW and 400 N.m, enough for a claimed 0-100 km/h time of 5,4 seconds and a top speed of 250 km/h.

The range-topper is the Z4 M40i, with its turbocharged 3,0-litre inline six-cylinder developing 250 kW and 500 N.m. The M Performance variant needs 4,5 seconds (interestingly, one-tenth quicker than the brand suggested at the M40i's reveal) to reach three figures and tops out at 250 km/h. All three derivatives employ an eight-speed automatic transmission.

The Munich-based firm has also released the new two-seater roadster’s exterior measurements: it's 4 324 mm long, 1 864 mm wide and 1 304 mm tall, with a wheelbase of 2 470 mm.

The folding soft-top, meanwhile, is electrically operated and can be opened or closed in ten seconds, up to speeds of 50 km/h. The roof comes in black as standard or anthracite with silver accents as an option. Luggage capacity is 281 litres whether the soft-top is open or closed.

The flagship M40i features adaptive M Sport suspension, M Sport brakes and an electronically controlled M Sport differential as standard, along with 18-inch alloys (the sDrive20i and sDrive30i ship standard on 17s).

The new Z4 is expected to arrive in South Africa in the first quarter of 2019. BMW has already suggested that we won’t be seeing a full-blown M version of the Z4 any time soon…

Ryan has spent most of his career in online media, writing about everything from sport to politics and other forms of crime. But his true passion – reignited by a 1971 Austin Mini Mk3 still tucked lifeless in a dark corner of his garage – is of the automotive variety.